Global Business Leaders Conference : The Future of European Competitiveness

The Future of European Competitiveness
I got a good opportunity to be part of the “Global Business Leaders Conference” on Fri 06 Jul 2012, in Paris. The topic of discussion was “The Future of European Competitiveness”. The conference was in English, so my involvement was deep.

To begin with, I am thankful to INSEAD for inviting me.
I am writing an account of the conference and a brief summary of the key take away. Refer official Link

1. Introduction & Opening
By Claude Janssen – Honorary Chairman of the INSEAD Board
The Master of Ceremony was Peter Zemsky – Acting Dean of INSEAD
The conference started with a brief of the agenda.


2. Dialogue with Jean-François Copé
By Mayor of Meaux, MP (Seine-et-Marne), and General Secretary of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)
Jean-François is a good orator, with good knowledge on Macro Economics and a superb on-stage confidence. He energized the audience with his key message which served as good context setting for the day.

The key message was
1. We all understand that Artificially pushing the Purchasing power in Europe (by funding countries with bail out money) is not the solution
2. Federal Europe, which many are talking as “one solution” is not possible in the middle term. Few countries need to take the lead like France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Scandinavian countries
3. The only way of growing Economy is by increasing competitiveness in Europe
Refer the GDP of European countries here

In the near term, the following three things should be done
1. Stabilize Financial sector
2. Limit public spending (slowly as acceptance in public is difficult, and it’s easy for politicians to lose in elections, if this is not managed well, e.g. people are not willing to cut basic necessities, like hospitals and schools)
3. Rebuild Competitiveness in Europe so that we get real GDP growth by
 a. Reforming Labor Legislation
 b. Implement Structural reforms
 c. Supporting Research and Innovation
 d. Support for SMEs ( Small and Medium Enterprises) so that we have a ecosystem which supports Entrepreneurship (key factor lagging in Europe)



3. Solution Innovation – A European Game?
By Markus Christen – Research Professor of Marketing, INSEAD

Question: Why Europe is broke today?
Answer: Europe = High Cost + Low Innovation

Innovation is not just new Products and Technology.
Significant GDP growth is often realized by finding new ways of doing old business, in particular by providing broader solutions to customers. See the following examples where organizations achieved this.
IBM - Good transition from Products to Global Services provider
Rolls Royce – From maker of Aircraft engines to doing end-to-end Aircraft engine maintenance
Xerox – Good transition from Products to providing Office Solutions

How well placed are European firms to make this transition from product sellers to solution providers?
From a Customer’s perspective; “A solution is a relationship that creates value for me”. And to achieve this Service Providers need to do the following
1. In-depth Problem Identification of the Client(by being with the customer and not sitting in R&D labs)
2. Customized offer integrating Products and Services
3. Solution Implementation
4. Post- deployment support

Successful firms have developed this by
- Extreme closeness to Customers(Customer Relationship is the basis of Competitive advantage)
- Great ability to listen to Customers
- World- class Products
- Close Relationship with workforce

Europe should leverage on the following strengths (some need to be more developed)
 1. Leverage diversity
 2. Leverage lower labor mobility (attrition is very low in Europe)
 3. Leverage education and on-job training ( Education is good, on-job training needs development)
 4. Leverage Global mindset (needs to be developed)

4. European CEO Panel
Jon Fredrik Baksaas – President and CEO, Telenor Group
Thierry Breton – Chairman and CEO, Atos
Jim Hagemann Snabe – Co-CEO, SAP

This was the view of key Business Leaders after a Politician’s and a Research scholar’s view. Some facts1. See the Global Innovation Index 2012. There are many European organizations in the top here.
2. Among Fortune 500 there are many big ones in Europe. Look at some Services organizations below. All are Eurepean and as a side note all have French CEO. :-)
o Accenture
o CapGemini
o Atos
The above three mentioned organizations plan to hire 80,000 engineers this year. But they are finding it difficult to find good available talent.

There is a key dilemma in some European countries
- While some organizations are laying-off people to manage cost, others are finding difficult to find talent.
- There is a big problem of managing supply-demand of talent. In countries like China they manage to do this very fast and in countries like France it takes ages and even then it’s not done. So it’s just mismanagement.
- Sometime employees are laid-off as they do not have the right talent required for the organization. Instead of laying-off organizations should re-train and redeploy talent. This is missing in Europe.

Four key take-aways
1. We are beyond denial of the European crisis. This is the biggest crisis after World War II.
2. Crisis is an opportunity to reinvent and do things differently.
3. Europe can be competitive; the feeling of Europeans for Europe needs to be re-ignited.
4. The need of the hour is greater level of consensus in European countries e.g. look at the consensus they have in Scandinavian countries in-spite of the key differences in Economy in each country.

The key message of the top CEOs was,
- “The European Crisis is a terrible thing to waste! It’s a big opportunity!”
- Young people should be trained first and employed. Rising unemployment in youth can be the biggest threat for the socio-economic stability.



5. Youth Panel
Valerie Coscas, MBA'08D - Strategy Director - Strategic Partnerships, France Telecom Group
Emilie Cousteau - CEO, One World Lingerie
Steven Eichenberger – Managing Director, Euforia
Myriam Oufella Ferran, Vice President, State Street Banque
Mads Jensen, MBA'09J - CEO and Co-founder, Sefaira

Some facts
Top companies: Fastest growing – Very few European on top. Refer
Global 500 : Worlds largest corporations – Few European on top. Refer
Global - Ranking of countries where it’s easy to start a new Business. Rank by "Starting a Business". – Very few European on top. Refer
New Zealand - 1
Australia - 2
Canada - 3
Singapore - 4
USA - 13
....
Germany - 19
France - 29
Spain - 44
Italy - 87
Greece – 100
India - 132

Key Message
Ecosystem for Entrepreneurship is not good in Europe. This needs to be developed so that, “creative ideas from young entrepreneurs is not wasted”



6. International CEO Panel
David Arkless – President of Corporate and Government Affairs, Manpower
Elena Panaritis, – CEO and Founder, Panel Group
Markwart von Pentz – President John Deere

Among other things discussed the International CEOs were asked to site areas of improvements in Europe, as they have the International view. And the list is big…
- Very high transaction cost (Bureaucracy)
- Ageing population coupled with stupid Immigration policy
- Weak Education and Technology link
- Supply and Demand of jobs not managed well( we have seen this earlier)
- Slow Reforms
- Poor Governance

7. Reflections
After a long day of heated debates, it was clear that they are many agreements, and there are some disagreements as well, which is not surprising consider the complex social fabric of Europe.

If we have to summarize then they key messages are
1. Financial system has become too complex to be managed, and its difficult to anticipate risks and mitigate them (word of caution for bankers, governments and regulators)
2. 50% of youth unemployed in a country; this is the biggest threat for the socio-economic stability (word of caution for governments and policy makers)
3. Supply and Demand of jobs is not managed well ( simple statistics and government will required)
4. The only real way of growing GDP is by increasing competitiveness in Europe
5. Ecosystem for Entrepreneurship is not good in Europe. This needs to be supported and eased.

What are your thoughts on this ? Do leave a comment with your top 3 solutions…

Mahtab SYED
Paris, Jul 09 2012

On Hierarchy in Society and Organizations; The God in You and the God in Me

The natural instinct

Human beings have the natural instinct of craving to be superior and being towards the top of the Hierarchy. And they have exhibited this historically. And in the modern day society and in organizations (which is a mini-society) we witness it regularly.

 

It can be the show of affluence by super-rich, show of power by political leaders and big fancy titles in organizations. Even exotic designer robes of religious leaders are means to the same hunger of showing one superior, different, and apart.

Indicator of authoritarian Hierarchy

Geert Hofstede, the influential Dutch researcher in the fields of organizational studies, created a framework for measuring it called the Power Distance Index (PDI).

The PDI index seeks to demonstrate the extent to which subordinates submit to authority. This index figure is lower in countries or organizations in which authority figures work closely with those not in authority, and is higher in countries or organizations with a more authoritarian hierarchy.  Refer the interactive world map.

So e.g.

• China and Saudi Arabia and most of Middle East are on higher side at 80 (Arab Spring will be justified because of this)
• US on the lower side at 40,
• Most of Europe at lower side, Germany and UK at 35, Switzerland at 34, Norway and Sweden at 31
• France (unlike most of Europe) is on the higher side at 68 (The socially accepted values of Grandeur and love for monarchy and power might be the reasons)

In Society vs. Organizations

This Hierarchy in large societies is difficult to be challenged, as its key drivers are money and power which rest with the ones at the top. Greed for more power and money brings corruption and those at the top of the Hierarchy get more powerful, increasing the social divide.  And although we don’t have many monarchies left, where this was the norm; even in democracies the once elected humble servants of public, get the lust of it.

In Organizations, being at the top is getting difficult

And coming to organizations this is posing a problem for our Hierarchy lovers who want to be at top eternally and command power.  It’s not easy to command respect and be at the top when you cannot perform and cannot prove by numbers.

In the current Economic scenario it’s not uncommon to see the CXO’s getting changed faster than season. And especially in modern organizations with white collar jobs, which is the “Knowledge Industry”, this is still more difficult.

Flat organizations are not really flat

There was this misnomer created called Flat Organizations few years back in the IT industry to boost productivity, but it was never really flat.

Well it cannot be flat as there are decisions which can be taken only at top, because they have the right skills, have access to confidential information, and it’s their mandate to steer the organization towards the goals.

So what are the key drivers which decide where on the level of Hierarchy you deserve to belong in an organization? Let’s try to list them…

They are the following and depending on your current level, you need a right mix of the below to reach a level above.

1. Awareness
2. Intention
3. Knowledge and Skills
4. Experience
5. Motivation , Passion and Drive
6. Leadership and People skills
7. Influence and Networking

If you have the above in the right mix, and you are ready to be aware and learn more, you will deserve being the God of your organization, with your subordinates happy under your leadership.

The God in You and the God in Me

There is no God outside us, God is in you and me. Like Buddha who was the "awakened one" or "the enlightened one".

The desire to seek knowledge and eventually all the knowledge is within us. We have to be aware of what we need, work towards it and discover it.

The self motivated heroes, who have followed their dreams and have worked hard, have exhibited perseverance and have eventually excelled.

Modern entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg are all at the top due to this. Their subordinates know that they deserve being at the top, and they are glad working under them.

And not just in Organizations even in Societies such heroes are respected. Take the example of non-entrepreneurs as well like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, and Aung San Suu Kyi.

So eventually it’s the level of God in You and the God in Me. This level of God in you and me will decide what you and I deserve. And if there is a mismatch, the natural forces will automatically push towards the change.
The good part is our destiny is in our hands, and we can change it, if we want…

Mahtab Syed

12 May 2012

Paris

Le Jardin d’Acclimatation

Official website
It is 01 May 2012 today. It’s supposed to be a summer feeling in Paris now. But it’s much colder than expected. May be this is another aspect of Global Warming !

The schools were off for 2 weeks and we had plans to go out. But its been drizzling and raining from last 2 weeks. It has been grey and gloomy with kids getting frustrated locked indoors venting their frustration on parents, and spouse in turn venting on each other. :-)

But today is different. It’s sunny and less cold. And I got a call from my friend and in few mins we planned to go out with kids to “Le Jardin d’Acclimatation” in Paris. Its just 2 metro stops away from my home.

It’s a 20-hectare (49-acre) children's amusement park. Its 150 yrs old park which was opened in 1860 by Napoleon III. And they have the Japanese festival going on now.

Although it was sunny we were not sure to leave jackets and umbrella, as in past 2-3 weeks we witnessed sudden clouds and rains. Never the less we risked and went out in light jackets, no umbrella, packed with snacks, cameras and bubbly kids, who got the hint that its fun time !

When we ventured out the streets were almost deserted. It was Tue 01 May and a national holiday. All the shops were closed and people who had taken off on Mon had a 4 days break and were probably out of Paris in their parents and relatives place or on vacation to warmer places.

But when we got out at the Metro station and walked towards "Le Jardin d’Acclimatation" we saw the real crowd. The road was already with a traffic jam and most pedestrians with load of kids were all walking towards the same destination. It's not just us but most families with kids had chosen the only destination, and wanted to utilize the most of a bright sunny day after many weeks of dull gray weather.

There was a big queue to enter. Kids were getting excited and some babies were crying. And there was no shortcut or priority for kids as almost all parents were with more than one kid. Luckily we had got the entrance ticket online and we could avoid the long queue(which was for people who had to buy tickets) and went in directly. 

It was nice to be walking in Tshirts. The sun was bright and the entrance was colorful with counter with posters and Japanese art on display. There were counters serving Japanese food and my first instinct was to queue up for Chicken Teriyaki. The smoke from the grill was announcing its presence far enough. :-)

There were Japanese Pogo Stick walkers(Stilt walkers) in traditional costumes. Small girls dressed in Kimono. And various art on sale ranging from chop sticks to paintings.

Inside the park there was a small zoo with farm animals and colorful birds. The sheep barn had most kids visitors. The kids were queuing up to feed sheep and goat and touch their soft coat. And the sheep were also enjoying all the attention and were happily munching the cookies offered.

This was followed by a small fruits and vegetation farm with a small vineyard and kitchen greens like mint, basil etc.

And finally the activities area with rides, merry-go-round(carousel), bike and car for kids etc etc. There was few toys shop which were doing a really brisk business. It was impossible for parents to stop kids from picking whatever they fancied. :-)

After all the fun we decided to return back. It was close to 6:10 pm and we had the last attraction to take. It is the "Le Petit Train" i.e. the small train. This is an open toy train which goes slowly from the part via a green jungle to the metro station Porte Maillot. We had the tickets already but we were not the only ones who had decided to take it. :-) There was a big queue and the there was the train at a frequency of 20 mins with the last being at 7 pm.

The day had been wonderful but towards the end it was like a movie climax. Will be able to get the last train before 7 pm ? Well we realized about this after being in the queue for 40 mins. If we had known this earlier we could have skipped the train and instead opted for the regular metro route. But after a long wait with kids already half asleep in pram, this looked like a movie climax.

We got one train at 6:20 pm and it was full soon and left. We were still some 20-30 people behind and we got the next train after 20 mins at 6:40 pm. And as the climax is expected the train filled while we were 6-8 people behind and now it was the wait for probably the last train. A guard appeared at the scene and apologized to us that its already close to 7 and the last train is gone. The next train coming may not go back. :-( The announcement was in French and we are not expert enough to negotiate in French. :-)

Lucking we had some smart people who apparently negotiated well. The guard nodded slightly(which we wanted to be affirmative). He called the driver of the approaching train on his walkie-talkie and whatever was the discussion it was affirmative. The train came and we boarded as excited as kids. :-) Our kids who were deep asleep got up in the train, trying to understand when and how they landed in an open toy train from the park. Good they missed all the wait and apprehension.

And for us the movie was a happy ending one. Each minute of the day was fun, and the toy train was the cherry on the pie !

Mahtab Syed
Paris, 01 May 2012

First snow fall in 2012

It was Saturday yesterday, and I was up till late night giving the finishing touches to the last blog. So I was still in deep sleep at 8:30 am (being a Sunday).

I woke up hearing, “Wow ! Ayaan its not raining, see its snowfall” from my wife .

I woke up in a jiffy, got my specs, and looked out of the large French doors with glass panes outside. I get the view of a park and it was a wonderful sight. The park with its trees and pathways were all covered in a soft, white blanket of virgin snow. It was Sunday morning and most of the people were in deep slumber, so it was still untouched and pristine. There were only few sparrows and pigeons who were scrubbing the snow all over themselves. The sparrows were chattering with each other, and they looked really happy !

In Paris, from last one week the temperature had been cold; in the range of  -3  -  -9 degree celsius. And a snowfall was welcome, as it makes the harshness of the frigid winter go away.

We quickly had breakfast and dressed up, and stepped out with a camera. By the time we went out many other residents had already noticed and it was a family gathering outside with dogs and kids running with excitement bumping over each other.

Compared to the snowfall in USSR this was less snow. It was just 2 inches of snow. In Paris it does not snow much, so this was an exciting thing,  and especially because it was the first snowfall of this winter.

Kids did not want to miss the opportunity. There were many small snowman made by kids. I liked one. It was small and cute and quite dressed up with all possible ornaments. See this one below. J

I collected some snow from the leaves and threw at my wife. And she started giggling like a kid. And that broke the ice of the assumed seriousness of adults ! And very soon we were like the rest of kids, collecting snow and chasing each other. 

I saw some kids who wanted to have more fun. One cute girl was rolling on the snow. And seeing her my son started doing the same. J 

People were clicking photos and some polite Parisians offered to click photos of us. It was like a family picnic.

Good break from the frigid  winter ! It will be a memorable Sunday morning of the first snowfall this winter.

Mahtab SYED
Paris 05 Feb 2012

Chinese New Year Celebration In Paris

The Chinese New Year starting 23 Jan 2012 till 9 Feb 2013 is the Year of the Dragon. This is considered the luckiest year in the Chinese Zodiac (12 year cycle). And many couples across Asia are making an extra effort to give birth to lucky "dragon babies".

I got from my colleague that its celebrated in Paris, and I took my camera and got ready to go the East end of Paris. (I live in the West end). I quickly googled and got the itinerary below…

Sunday, January 29

1:00pm Dragon Parade starts at 44, avenue d'Ivry, going through avenue de Choisy, Place d'Italie, avenue d'Italie, rue de Tolbiac, avenue de Choisy, boulevard Masséna and returns to avenue d'Ivry.

It was -4 degree centigrade today, and the celebrations were on street. I had to convince myself that the celebration will be worth the effort. So I bribed myself with the idea of having an authentic Chinese lunch. Well now the venture seems worth the effort…

I reached  the Metro station Porte d’Ivry just on time and on coming out, I had to just follow the crowd toward the parade. There were cute Chinese kids with balloons. The roads, buildings were decorated well, and for a minute I felt I am in China.

There were elaborate parades, with the dragon, chinese drums beating, incense sticks, bright costumes, and spectators with families and kids.

This was a colorful expression of joy and hope for the new year. It was interesting to see many non-chinese also participating whole heartedly. What touched me was
- how well the Chinese have preserved their traditions in a foreign country
- and how well the Chinese enjoyed the cultural freedom in France

The parade and processions went for more than two hours. My hands were numb in cold clicking photos and videos. And then I realized I was hungry... ( authentic Chinese lunch :-) )

I saw couple of  Chinese restaurants but the queue had already built up and it was trailing for 100-200 metres outside the restaurants. So I had to contend with a French Chicken sandwitch and double shot Espresso in China town... :-)

It was time to wind-up and I started walking back...
On the roadside, I noticed Chinese artists painting names of people in extravagant colorful patterns. I thought of getting this souvenir back. And it was clear that my sons name will be the best gift to me and my wife.

The artist indicated me to write the name in a piece of paper. I wrote my sons name AYAAN. And in less than 10 mins, with her dexterous hands(in frigid cold), she did the magic with her painting and calligraphy skills, and produced the colorful and amazing picture below. See how AYAAN is written(click on the picture to get a bigger image) using
A - image of bamboo shoots and panda (symbolic of China)
Y - an orange bird
A - Eiffel tower(well ! symbol of Paris)
A - Two fishes in love
N - The year of the Dragon !

Happy New Year
Mahtab SYED
Paris 04 Feb 2012

Getting my ADSL box

Back  to main page

And now I badly wanted Internet, TV and Landline at home. We have been watching TV on my smart phone… J

The ADSL connection I wanted is also special, as it has some Indian TV channels, allows free fixed lines (landline) call to India and most countries in the world.

Yes my Relocation agency is still missing ! But I don’t need her any more. My confidence is high ! And I have Internet connection at Office also by now.

I logged to the ADSL web site, but the process was very foreign to me. The way telecom works in France, has no similarity to India, US or USSR. And by the way it’s the most advanced…

Ok, here every home has a landline number, active or inactive. While applying for the ADSL connection, if you know the last landline number the ADSL connection comes faster, say 10 days, else it can take a lot of time say even a month.

So the first thing is to know the last landline number. Now how do I get that ? I asked the owner of the apartment but she had a landline number more than 3 yrs back and that probably was not the last number. I had met the last renter and I remember he had a landline phone.  So mostly that was the last number.  So there was another way out. You can query the address of an apartment in a web site and get the last landline number. I did that and got it !

Now it was applying for the ADSL. My colleague in office helped me fill the form. There was one part which I had no clue. It is the digital code of the apartment main gate. In Paris most apartments have a standard system of security.

• Apartment dwellers have a near field communication device which opens the door. So they don’t need to remember the complex codes.
• Also there is a numeric pad where you enter the digital code and the main gate opens. This is generally passed to courier for delivery of packages.

I have three doors and I did not even know the codes. So we skipped that part assuming the ADSL delivery person will call me. Well this was an incorrect assumption as it proved later…

The ADSL website has a systematic step-by-step track my order and I could see it progressing faster than expected. Wow ! I was super excited and was waiting like a kid for his toy to be delivered…

• And then in 6 days I got a message (naturally in French). On translation it was mentioned that my ADSL box will be delivered in 2 days. Now I was hooked to my smart phone tracking the delivery of the ADSL box.
• And next day on checking the status had a problem. On translation it was mentioned “The courier came for delivery. But it went back as the digital code is not mentioned”. What ! Why did they not call me ? Damn it !
• I quickly got on phone with my owner, and got the digital codes. Then took help of a colleague who called (conversation in French) the courier agency, and made them note the digital codes and again emphasized on my cell number. I knew that this time they might call me. So I quickly learnt a sentence for conversation when he calls me. (Like I am coming in 2 mins !)
• And kept checking the web site for tracking the shipment. Also I reached home at 5 pm, waiting for the delivery again. Well no news, no call for next 2 hours. I knew that they work till 7 pm only…
• At 7:15 pm, when I knew that it’s too late for today, I checked the web site again. And there was a new message. “The courier came for delivery. But it went back as the digital code is not mentioned”. What ? This was irritating now.  3 arguments flashed in a fraction of second…
• I had given my digicodes. What happened to it ?
• And if he did not have digicodes why did he come for delivery ?
• And why the hell they are not calling me ?

Later I came to know that in France one "not so good thing" is the postal delivery system. US or even India beats France in this…

I was furious and knew that I have to call and blast them. Next day I left for office early and wanted to take my colleagues help in blasting the courier company. It's important to mention that the ADSL and the Courier organizations are two different ones. This might explain the lethargy of the latter … as the Accountability link has a gap.

In office, I was thinking of the plot of conversation when I got a call from my wife. The courier guys came home and delivered the ADSL box. How ? Why they did not call me ? Well it does not matter anymore !

Dramatic delivery I should say…
Back  to main page

Getting my first cell connection

Back  to main page

When it’s the question of one’s survival we can do anything. Any hurdle is not big.

I knew that I have many questions before I get a cell phone connection.

- Which package, contract of 1 year or 2 years or no contract at all ?

- Contract terms etc,

- What if I have the break the contract ?

- And certainly I don’t want to be a defaulter, and don’t want to screw-up my credit history because of a silly misunderstanding.

My need was big, so I just walked in to SFR telecom outlet, and asked for an English speaking representative. I was luck today. I got a guy who spoke very good English, and he had answered all the above questions I had, to many expats like me.

I signed a two years contract, at a very competitive price and I know the terms of breaking the contract very well. The salesman Rudy, explained me so well. “You can break the contract legally if any of the three below conditions meet”

1. I die (not funny)
2. I am laid off (not funnier either)
3. I am transferred back to India and my HR gives a letter certifying that. Well I know this will be my case. So I can legally break my contract without labeled a defaulter.

NB : I now realize that France is a welfare state (more Socialist but still unlike former USSR) and not a Capitalist state like US, where I have to keep proving that I am credit worthy !

And you might not read the fine-print carefully while signing a contract. And voila you are trapped, as it’s designed to make money from you, and your welfare is none of the business of the Capitalist organization…

Well I signed the contract. And got a high speed internet connection on my big screen smart phone and in 10 mins, I had my phone up with the heart beat, the Internet. All the starved applications, on my phone, started syncing with Internet and this was the Second good thing after the apartment…

The images below are not advertisement. Its my thanks to SFR ! :-)
Back to main page

Living without Internet for a week !

Back  to main page

Let me admit that I am a gadget freak and a geek. Internet is the heart beat of my geek body.

I use Internet for many things like using a dictionary, GPS maps, shopping notes, and all the information I need is in cloud, accessible from anywhere. But how to live when there is not Internet connection, no Smart phone, no PC !

Since I am hooked to Internet, for more for more than decade now, this was the first 1 week of my life without Internet. I even had no Internet connection in office as my Office account was not transferred from Bangalore to Paris.

My son watches his videos in youtube and he could not understand that the PC is up but there is no youtube. :-)

My Relocation agency was supposed to help me on this. But after the apartment deal she just disappeared. Not reachable on phone or email. I have still not understood why ? :-) I will get the answer one day !

I was actually feeling sorry for the state of affairs. And this I had not imagined. I knew that I had to take an ADSL connection which is bundled very high speed Internet, TV, landline connection. And this takes quite a while to come, after you apply. And how can I apply when I have no Internet ! Paradox of life :-) There are no counters in malls for the ADSL connection I was looking for. It can only be applied via Internet !

So I realized the first step, is that I take a cell phone connection with 3G which I can use further to apply for the ADSL connection...
Back to main page

Where to throw garbage

Back  to main page

I got some sandwiches from outside and we had lunch and much needed hot coffee. We did the cleaning and sorting of things. 

Later I went out to buy basic grocery for dinner. Soon we had some trash piled up. And it was time to clear them. Now I had not asked the owner where to throw them.

In USSR we had a room in each floor for garbage with segregated bins. In another city in USSR and in US we had the common system. It was like few “holes in the wall”. You throw segregated trash in it and it falls down in wide pipes, which collects in big trash containers in the ground floor. And the way to find them is you take a trip around the floor and the sign “Garbage or Trash” in English or “Mycop”(read Moosar) means Garbage in Russian. But what is it called in French. I had no internet connection. So I cannot find it out !

I wrote a SMS to the owner who said you can throw in basement -2. So I went there. It was the parking lot and I read every sign board. One board said, “Sans issue”.  Now that did not seem like Garbage to me on the first day. And yes now I know it means “This is not an Exit !”

I saw a dirty area in basement. This was not a parking area. I thought for a moment that this might me the spot for garbage. You just keep it there and someone collects from there. And I justified that it’s because of the timing that my trash bag is the only one there.  :-) Good, I kept the trash bag there and came up.

I had a very good sleep on the first night. Next morning I met a neighbor in the lift. One good thing I noticed people say Bonjour ! (Good morning or Good day ) to even strangers. After the Bonjour ! the gentleman told few sentences in French which I did not understand. I asked him. “Parlez vous anglais ?” meaning “Do you speak English ?”

He answered yes and started morning conversation. My first question was, “Where do you throw trash ?”. He offered help and walked me to the -2 basement, the same room with the sign “Sans Issue”. And voila, there you had segregated bins, one for Plastic and Cartons, second for Glass, and third for Kitchen waste.

I thanked him and went to the spot where I had dumped my Trash bag. To my surprise it was still there untouched. Thankfully not decomposed and stinking, as it was 2 degree centigrade there.

I corrected my mistake. But first I had to segregate the day old trash and then throw in the right bin. A lesson learnt... 
Back to main page

Apartment ? Or Hotel ?

Back  to main page
One thought constantly nagging me was, Am I going to check-in in a hotel already booked in Paris ? Or can I move to the apartment which I have only verbally booked one week back ?

And naturally I wanted to move in the apartment !

1. My Relocation agency was dealing with the apartment owner, and she was diplomatically not giving me the right information till the last day.
2. She could not confirm the apartment to me, because as per the French system I had not paid the 2 months rent as Security deposit and the first month Rent.
3. I wanted to pay the Security deposit and the Rent, but I could not, as I can only do that via a French bank account check. And you cannot have a French bank account until you are employed in France.
4. I could not talk to the apartment owner as they don’t speak English and I don’t speak French yet.
5. The French law is very Renter friendly. So if I move to the apartment and don’t pay the rent, the owner cannot just push me out !
6. For the owner it was a very good deal as I accepted to pay the rent 2 days prior to my landing in Paris. And I accepted to pay a higher rent without any negotiation.
7. My Relocation agency had a fear, that I might not accept this apartment if the move is delayed. This is because the rent was higher than market. I could have got a bigger and less costly apartment if I insisted on hunting further.
8. I liked this apartment, as it is walking distance to my office and my son’s school and a grocery store, and it’s a furnished one, satisfying all the criteria I had.
9. And the last point, from my Relocation agency’s perspective my deal was one of the most easy deals, as I accepted the apartment in 10 mins visit, and did not negotiate on rent.

So there were three parties, with their risks and interests(less labour, more returns), and each not knowing the other well.

Dealing in foreign  language for me and them, new rules for me, clear differences in culture for all… Distrust is the easiest option….

Picture above : My son at the airport...


After my arrival at Paris airport, I called the Relocation agency (for the last time) if I am coming to the apartment or going to the hotel (read it as the deal is lost)…

Due to the past, “not so good experience” with my Relocation agency I wanted to really confirm if she will be there at the apartment with the keys. As it’s not possible to wait outside a digitally secured apartment, with 200 kg luggage, and a family with a kid when its 2 degrees centigrade outside.

And yes I was clearly not interested in checking-in the hotel, unpacking the stuff, then packing and again moving to the apartment after few hours or few days.

The Relocation agency got a hint of my mindset, and the required urgency in deciding.

On the positive note she could also sense the sincerity in my voice…

She told she will get back in 30 secs. After a quick conversation with the owner, she confirmed.  she will be there at the apartment with the owner.

I reached and got my wife and kid inside the warm apartment. And with the help of the taxi driver and owner of the apartment, we got the 200 kgs luggage in the apartment.

And then it was time to sign the lease. I just signed it. I could not read even if I wanted as the lease was in French. It was definitely trust developing between strangers, after meeting and talking to each other….

Then, I rushed to the back to get my check book. (My French bank account process had started a week back and luckily my checkbook had arrived in the bank). There was no Euros in the account yet. I withdrew close to a Eur 1000 via a Forex card, and gave two checks with a promise that it will not bounce if they deposit in 3 days…

So I was in the apartment after 2-3 hours of running around, newly built trust, some cash Euros, and two checks with no Euros in the account yet…

This was a big milestone for me… and the first one achieved… It was interesting that I had bent the rules to get to my apartment… The only factor which was overriding all was the trust on each other…
Back to main page

First 2 weeks in Paris

Settling down.
This is an account of the initial 15 days in Paris…

After settling down in two cities in USSR, 4 cities in USA and multiple in India, I was confident that settling down in Paris will not be difficult. Yes the only big difference was for the first time, I was moving with a family (my wife and 3 yr old son for whom this was the first international experience).

I have arranged some events in chronological order below. Enjoy reading...

1. Comfortable flight !
2. Apartment ? Or Hotel ?
3. Where to throw garbage
4. Living without Internet for a week !
5. Getting my first cell connection
6. Getting my ADSL box

I think there is no better day than the first day of the new year 2012 to jot this down...

Its been a very memorable and satisfying 1st day of the new year...

This is my first morning after the two weeks story above…

I come out of my apartment in morning, feeling fresh and with an air of satisfaction..

It’s very beautiful this morning, not very cold, with a clear morning sky…

As as I take a deep breath of fresh air, I look up and see below what I see in the sky…

The dawn sky painted with criss-cross flying of jets from the Charles de Gaulle airport…

And now its time to see and experience and learn and be a Parisian...

Au Revoir !

Mahtab Syed 
01 Jan 2012 
Paris

Comfortable flight !

Back to main page
We started travel from home in Bangalore to airport on 13th Dec 2011. We had around 200 kgs of luggage. (See my son helping us pack…) This was packed carefully with multiple checklists, and notes, and we had almost all the things to survive in any country without shopping for a week. This included the cookies which my son likes, France compatible adapters, scissors, enough warm clothes to survive even in Siberia (just to make my wife comfortable as she thought we are going to a very cold place :-) etc, etc...


Till Bangalore I was in known territory, and till the flight took off it was all very comfortable and uneventful. Luckily, we were flying via Air France on Business class tickets. And my son was the only kid in the Business Class area. He was enjoying all the attention by the crew members who arranged for a kids meal which even had “French fries”, which my son was looking for !


Generally I do not get good sleep in flights. And especially this time, I was awake and alert all night, planning and pondering each step I had to take next day in Paris.

And I am happy to see my son in deep sleep…

Back to main page

My lost weekends

There is a saying, “You don’t realize the importance of what you have, unless you lose it !”

In my context this lost thing was my weekends. From last 3 months I voluntarily took up the task of learning French on weekends. It was half day on Sat and half day on Sun.

The first thing sacrificed was the leisure of getting up on weekends at your will. I had to set an alarm and get up dot on time every weekend. If you do this on one weekend or two it’s ok. But doing this for 3 months at a stretch is a real toll.

Another task was revising the French textbook and doing home exercises. (Honestly I did not do much :-) ). But when it was preparing for exams, whole evening of Sat and Sun used to be diligently devoted.

With a 2.5 yrs kid who wanted his attention, to my wife (who never understood the need for learning a new language) I was torn between priorities. I tried to do justice to all the usual activities of a weekend, a bit of house hold chores, welcoming guests at home, visiting friends. And I ended up being as tired on a Sun evening as on Fri evenings after a tough work week.

The worst sacrifice was the dearest think for my soul. I call it “Listening to my Soul”.

On weekend when my wife and son are asleep, I relax in the balcony, sipping my espresso, without any agenda. It’s self-introspection, at a pace, which is the best for my biological clock. I just let myself loose.
When I stop resisting, its then I hear what my Soul wants to tell my mind. In other word it’s the Soul or Universe or God (I believe all there are synonyms) which takes control. And on a peaceful day, realization does beckon on me. It can be a past mistake which I just realized, or I a future plan which starts taking a shape.

Now the French classes are over. And this weekend was a completely free one.

This weekend seemed as if it lasted for many days. I could do so much.

This weekend

- I got up leisurely at (I don’t even know what time) may be 8:30 -9:00 am.

- I had breakfast without any hurry.

- I met my old friends over coffee, in our favorite joint.

- I let loose and automatically “Listened to my Soul.” And in 2 hours on Sat I wrote a high level Business Plan for a future entrepreneurship. (a seed sown for future)

- I watched news multiple times

- I had as many rounds of tea and coffee, relaxing in my balcony

- I updated my linkedin profile

- I went for a walk in the park

- I charged my toy helicopter and did takeoff and landings from dining table to my sofa

- And played with my son

- And the last thing, I am completing this blog.

In past before my French classes, so many full weekends passed by without doing anything relevant. And now that I was deprived for it for 3 months, you see how I enjoy getting my weekend back !

Mahtab Syed

29 May 2011

On Employee Engagement

How to access if Employee Engagement is good or not so good in your organization ? Get the following survey rated by all.
1. Are your managers giving a clear vision of the future of your organization ?

2. Is the Communication on the Organizational Strategies and Goals frequent and transparent enough ?

3. Do you have confidence in the abilities of your leaders ?

4. Do you know how your bonus and hikes are lined with the Organization’s financial performance ?

5. Is your manager your mentor as well ? Is he genuinely concerned about your career growth ? Do you have Career Path defined ? How realistic it seems to you ?

6. How is your motivation level at work ?
a. Autnomoy - At your level do you have sufficient autonomy to do your best ?
b. Mastery - Have you learnt a new important skill in the last six months ?
c. Purpose - Does your work connect you to the bigger purpose of your organization ? Do you see the bigger Business needs it answers ?

Some thoughts from article "Employee Engagement, A Leadership KPI"
by Dr. Bob Bergman, (Ph.D, Consulting Director, Kenexa Global Practice EMEA).

Mahtab Syed
26 May 2011

My first mechanical table clock

It’s circa 2010 and it’s a world when a table clock or wall clock is more of a decoration than a device used for knowing time. These days its cell phones, laptops, PDAs, Tablets, which serve additionally as a clock.

Today I was trying to find a key, when I came across my first mechanical table clock. I bought in USSR in 1991 when I went there to study Computer Science. So this table clock is 19 yrs old. I used it for 2-3 yrs till 1993-1994 after which digital clocks took over, and this modest clock was discarded in a cupboard as an antique.

I hoarded many things in my 6 yrs in USSR. And when I was coming back to India for good I had to decide on very few things which I can get back to India. And I kept this table clock as it reminded me of my old college days, and the alarm which woke me every day. And yes this clock had stopped functioning till then. But I still got it back.

I came to Bangalore and 1997. I lived in many rented houses till I bought my first house in 2002 and then my second apartment in 2007. And in all these house moves I somehow always kept this table clock. Looks like I am really attached to it.

And today on 20 Nov 2010, 19 yrs after buying this table clock, I took it out from the confines. I knew it was not working for more than 16-17 yrs.

Suddenly I got an idea. I know it’s a mechanical device and I know Russians are very good at making mechanical devices. I was sure it would have not rusted and the problem could have been simple.

I winded the table clock and shook it, but it did not tick. I opened the two screws, removed the metal cover and sprayed it with WD-40. It’s a liquid lubricant for stopping squeaks, driving out moisture etc, for mechanical and even electronic devices. I had a feeling that I am doing the right thing :-). I sprayed a lot of it in the mechanical parts of the table clock. And then shook it well.

And Eureka ! It started ticking. I could not believe my eyes at the oscillating parts of the table clock, and my ears at the distinct ticking sound. I knew this sound so well. No digital clocks make this sound. And this mechanical tick, like a beating heart, made me feel as if a dead loved one is back to life again. It was all Euphoria ! And while I am writing this blog it’s still ticking… (See its photo above which I clicked now.)

Mahtab Syed

Sat, Nov 20 2010

On Emotional Intelligence

It has been a realization that just IQ is not enough for success in life...

I was trying to find the right words to express my inner thoughts, and I knew it’s not easy, as the concept is complex.

Recently I started reading the book "Working with Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman. Luckily the book I read before this was "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell.

Now the thoughts are crystallizing...

As both Daniel Goleman and Malcolm Gladwell put, success in work and life is not directly proportional to IQ. It is true that a basic IQ (above a threshold level, depending upon the area of work) is required as entry criteria. Beyond this, the IQ level becomes relatively unimportant as criteria of success.

I have been using the terms soft-skills and maturity.

Soft-skills, as I learnt them, generally refers to

1. Communication skills (oral, verbal and non-verbal),
2. Leadership skills (using proper Situational Leadership technique (Directing, Coaching, Consulting/Supporting, Delegating)
3. Networking skills (how do you go along and connect with people)
4. Negotiation skills (how to influence decisions in your favor)
5. Planning and Time Management skills (Working on more of “Not Urgent but Important activities”)

And Maturity is displayed when your actions and reactions are not spurt of emotions, but are balanced with the wisdom learnt over life (of situations and the good decisions taken). This is a not a clear definition and people don’t like to be told that they are not mature yet. This is taken rather personally by people.

So while Soft-skills is not completely defined, Maturity is not the right term to be used. I am thankful to Daniel Goleman for the new and more elaborate term “Emotional Intelligence”.

So what is Emotional Intelligence ? Its summarized here.

Refer : I found a very good video on Daniel Goleman's website http://danielgoleman.info

Two strangers at my door.

It was a typical Sunday morning, and I was listening to some Sufi songs. I heard the door bell ring and I opened the door. There were two strangers; both were men in their late 60s.

One of them was leading the other, as the other was blind. They were from a blind association looking for any kind of donation. They mentioned old clothes, old newspapers (but not money). I looked at the men; they appeared to be having good stature when young, but now in their late 60s they were quite frail. And my first thought was, “Can they lift a load of 5-10 kgs of old newspaper?”

There was an air of self-respect around them which was tattered now, facing the wind of poverty, helplessness and pain in life. Their eyes reflected honesty and genuineness. Even being blind could not hide that. They were very well mannered and the first reaction was to give respect.

In my apartment complex we get lots of other people asking for donation. And they are mostly people with good sales skills. They try to deceive but a moment is enough to decide otherwise.

Such incidents, and many others, we face in life make us hard, emotionally hard like rock. I was going through such a mental turmoil last day. And the appearance of these two strangers changed things in a moment. Their honesty, genuineness, tattered self-respect, helplessness and suffering in life, had so much magnetism and warmth, that my rock like hardened compassion melt like wax in seconds.

I got some money which we had kept aside for donation when my son was born premature. These few hundreds had more value than thousands as they were part of the most important prayer in life. This money was kept untouched since more than a year now. And today I got the best use for it.

I am not sure who was more needy today. The strangers who were seeking donation or me who wanted to donate this money for the best cause…

Mahtab Syed
Sunday, January 17, 2010

Learnings so far...

Girte hain sheh savar hi maidaan-e-jang main,Woh tifl kya gire jo ghutano ke bal chale !
by Allama Muhammad Iqbal

Meaning
Only daring horse-riders can fall in the battlefield,
How can a child fall who crawls on his knees !

Only those who are courageous enough to try to do a difficult job, those who dare to be different can fall down i.e. fail. Those who do not try at all, and just walk on the side walk i.e. the safest path and don't take any risks can't fall at all !

"While you are swimming in calm waters, learn the art to swim and survive in rough seas !" - Mahtab Dec 10 2010

Enlightenment is a step by step process, with one realization at a time. – Mahtab : 10 Jan 2010

If you ask me one key to success, it’s perseverance.
If you have a definite well defined goal, and you keep working towards it, in spite of difficulty and obstacles, all the negative forces opposing it will slowly cease away. – Mahtab : Jun 18 2008

I realized lately that if I am really interested in doing something, I do it well and my productivity is also high. Here the key is really interested. So I need to find out what interests me in my career and keep on doing that and move up the chain. – Mahtab : Apr 02 2008

There is only one way which gives you
• Confidence
• Self respect
• Good grasp of the subject
• Future Career road map
It is honest hard work, along with strong apolitical desire to get the work done in the best possible way. – Mahtab : Mar 18 2008.

If your desire for something is strong, very strong, and you work towards it regularly, you will ultimately get it. There are exceptions but if you closely analyze you will get what’s good for you. – Mahtab : Dec 06 2007

Don’t try to change everything which is not good.
Focus your energy only on those which have long term benefits to you and society as a whole. – Mahtab : Dec 05 2007

The seed of entrepreneurship.

It’s Thu Jun 25 2009 and I am at home. The state of mind is fertile and it’s a good opportunity for writing a blog. I will express my inner thoughts using lots of simile (a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”). I will also name some similes for better imagination. :-)

Of late I am noticing a small seed of entrepreneurship, comparable to a yellow mustard seed, developing a bright green “3 mm” stem with two tiny leaves. This tiny seed was present from 2-3 years but it was dormant. And the changing favorable landscape has made it grow to a tiny life. This is like God deciding that, “Ok you can take a try to become a life form.” Well, I am the small seed of entrepreneurship.

Let me describe the landscape. It was a small monolithic island, with no lakes or shrubs. Few months back a volcano erupted bringing in fertile soil from the bed of the ocean. A small geyser emitting hot water is slowly turning to a small lake. Now the water is cooler, earth warmer, sunny and moist. The condition is favorable for new life forms to originate.

Living creatures that were confined to the cliffs and crevices have started surveying the new place. I am lucky that I have some friends helping me. There is a queen ant (my mother) with her army of followers. She is hard working and she is surveying the work of the other worker ants. They are digging tiny tunnels and this is bringing fresh oxygen to the new soil. There is a humble frog (my father) who is selective in eating and destroying the insects who got attracted to the green tiny growth of the seed. There is a tiny stream of the flowing water (my wife) making the soil wet and giving me the confidence of survival. There is a small baby monkey, (my son) who has immense energy and endless desire to learn something new every day. It’s an inspiration for everyone to learn.

Now let’s come to the seed. He has no idea of what he will look like after some growth. There are no other mustard seeds in the vicinity that can set any example. There are many dangers lurking that will eat the seed in one pick. There is no guarantee that the favorable landscape conditions will continue. More volcanoes will erupt and it will rain badly. The seed can be washed away and die.

But the seed is optimistic. He believes in the one in thousands chances that he will grow. He has faith on his Karma and knows that the conditions will be favorable for him for the first bit of growth. And then he will learn and adapt to the changing circumstances. He knows that he will blossom soon to have bright yellow flowers.

These forced breaks

It’s Fri morning and this week has been hectic, with 5-6 hours of official meetings on some days. On an ordinary Friday, I will be working extra hard in office to wind up things, so that I have a cleaner list of TODOs on a Monday. And on top of that I have a piling list of my personal things to do, which I had moved to today.

But The Creator had a different plan for me today. I have a sore throat and slight fever, so there is a forced break for me. :-(

Initially I was a bit upset, as this requires complete re-planning. I dropped a mail to my team and moved all my appointments to Mon. There were some important personal things to be done on Sat. I delegated that to a friend, and I know it will be taken care of.

I took some medicines and I know it will take care of the sore throat. In-spite of the fever, I took a hot shower, had a 10 mins meditation, and had a cup of sugar-less black coffee. All appointments are moved and there is nothing pressing now. I will be alone for 5-6 hours before my wife comes in the evening from her office.

Now, I am free like a bird. Free to fly in the realm of imagination and dreams. Finding such a free time, when you can be in the zero state of mind is priceless. And it’s difficult to plan for it. But The Creator knows when it’s required for a soul to get this break. And here it is ! :-)

I feel happy, and contended, as I understand the plan of The Creator. And this gave me an opportunity to be with myself, think, dream, plan, re-plan and jot down this blog.

Have you had such thoughts ?

Mahtab Syed
11:21am May 16 2008